Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione to End Longest Tenured Run in College Athletics

Castiglione is set to retire during the upcoming school year.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione is set to retire during the upcoming school year. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the most successful tenures in the history of major college athletics is coming to an end.

Oklahoma Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione will retire from his full-time role in the upcoming school year, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel. Once a new athletic director is hired, Castiglione will remain with the athletic department in an "emeritus" role, where he will serve as an advisor to the athletic department.

The 67-year-old Castiglione's retirement marks an end of an era. He has served as OU's athletic director since 1998, and has led the sports programs to unprecedented success. The Sooners hired one of the best coaches in college football history, Bob Stoops, during Castiglione's tenure, and Oklahoma won a national title in 2000 on the gridiron. It is one of 25 national titles won by the athletic department during Castiglione's tenure, which also includes eight softball titles and five Final Four runs in basketball - two by the men and three by the women.

Castiglione reportedly initiated conversation with Oklahoma administrators over the past month, and came up with a plan to ease the search and transition of the school's athletic director role.

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